About Us

Unlike most other European and American mineral magazines, the UKJMM is produced by a small team of unpaid enthusiasts. We have no permanent members of staff and all revenues generated are ploughed back into improvements in the next issue, but with many other commitments, publication dates can be a little erratic!

Potted biographies of our group can be found below.

For a summary of the magazine's history by Mick Wolfe click here.

David Green

David Green has been with the UKJMM since its inception, and is currently the journal editor. A keen mineral collector for many years, he is the Keeper of Mineralogy at The Manchester Museum. David's research interests centre on the documentation and recording of sites of mineralogical interest in the British Isles. He is a member of many mineralogical and mining-related societies including the Russell Society, The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and the British Micromount Society.

Jean Spence

As secretary to the Doncaster Mines Research Group Jean Spence contributed articles to the original Rockbottom. Jean has been on the editorial staff since before issue number 1 and is also a founder member of the British Micromount Society and secretary of its northern branch. Following Jean's retirement from teaching in 1989 she was able to spend more time in her role as administrator despite heart bypass surgery ten years ago. She is responsible for subscriptions; retail, foreign and show sales; foreign agents; distribution; and accounting (with gratitude to her ex-accountant husband). Jean has collected minerals for the past 20 years and has been fortunate to collect from most of the now defunct or forbidden mines and quarries in the UK.

Peter Briscoe

Peter Briscoe is also one of the founders of the UKJMM who's prime responsibility now is marketing of the Journal and bringing in much needed revenue by selling advertising space. Like all the other members of the editorial staff he is a member of the BMS. Additionally he also belongs to the Sussex Lapidary and Mineral Society and the Peak District Minerals and Lapidary Society. Peter's interest in mineral collecting began when walking in the Caldbeck Fells but suggests this is not the recommended route at present. As if the challenge of a full-time job and the Journal weren't enough Peter has taken on the task of creating a web-site concentrating on the minerals of the British Isles. website: Rock-Site

Mick Wolfe

Mike Wolfe joined the team of three others running the UKJMM in the summer of 1995. He was, at that time, a Chartered Engineer and commercial executive employed in industry. He has since retired but still continues as a director and company secretary of the UKJMM. Mick's duties include the coordination of financial activities and communications with the Inland Revenue, Companies House and the accountants as well as the occasional preparation of Mineral News. He also prepared the index for issues 11 to 20 of the Journal. Mick is a member of the British Micromount Society and was its chairman from 1987 to 1992. Although he maintains an interest in minerals his active collecting is virtually nil due to ill health.

Richard Bell

Richard Bell works for a bank in Liverpool as a statistics and information officer. For the UK Journal, he is responsible for the Diary of Events and proof-reading of the various articles that appear in the journal. He has been a mineral collector for 30 years and specializes in minerals from the UK & Ireland. He is also keen on minerals from Mont St.Hilaire, the Eifel and other volcanic areas. He is also interested in the photography of minerals. Richard is also a member of several mineral societies such as the British Micromount Society. website: Mineral Paradise